Soar Away
by Kit-Kat Punk-lover
Summary: Sequel to Breaking Through/ She's escaped the grips of her past, but can she handle the truth of the present? It's revealed and nothing can stop it's harsh decieving force. All she can so is face it and hope... but for what exactly? Closure or an escape?
1. A Case

_Hello one and all! I present the sequel to Breaking Through! If you haven't read Breaking Through and somehow stumbled across this then don't fret! You don't really have to read B.T. to get everything in this, though some parts may be a bit confusing. Anyway, let's get on with it, shall we…_

_And now for the Disclaimer with………Beyond Birthday! (The best character in the world!)_

Beyond: Well, this is strange…  
Me: B!!!!! I LOVE YOU! :D  
Beyond: -hides knife behind his back- Do you now?  
Me: YES :D  
Beyond: Henh…Katelyn doesn't and will never own anything –pulls out knife-  
Me: SHINY!  
Beyond: Henh henh henh…

_Also: Oujo ha Rippa please message me. It won't let me message you for some reason and I know you probably have a WTF face right now at this. _

* * *

The night is smooth and cold in the bright lights of Japan. People rush home from their jobs that they are all too eager to escape from. The cars blaze by in a heap of flash and light, momentarily blinding the passing people with their petrifying headlights. Along the rows of buildings that crowd the city's sky stands a highly expensive, prestigious hotel.

And in this hotel a very strange scene is going on...

"I am L," Several men crowd the entrance to a suite of a hotel, each holding a dumbfounded expression on their faces. Shock could only swarm over them as the person in front of them scratched the back of his midnight hair. Their shock mixed in with slight disappointment as their image of a great, powerful detective smashes infinitely.

The great, powerful detective observes them cautiously. His near black orbs penetrate their skulls, his wild hair smells of inept, his baggy clothing hides his lean form that could be described as skin and bones, and all these insignificant things cause the five men to shudder involuntarily.

They could not silence the gasps that left their throats at the unusual sight of the man called L. _'This is him?' _Yagami, the leader amongst the five Japanese men thought to himself with the question racing through his mind.

The same questioning thoughts went through the minds of the other four men as they gape at L with utter loss written across their faces. L only stares back, eyes unwary, analyzing their open expressions, dolefully doing so.

Yagami, shaking off the sudden doubt, decides pulling out his police badge would be one way to break the unsettling silence that had fallen upon them, "I'm Yagami of the NPA," his badge shines slightly under the warm hotel lights.

The other men promptly follow suit, "Uh Matsuda," A rather befuddled man next to the chief says, mumbling in doing so. "Aziawa," The next man says, showing distrust in his eyes for L. "Mogi," The man farthest in the back says earnestly. "Ukita," Finally, the last man is revealed, a look of humor flashes in L's eyes for second.

"I'm very sorry we're late. Currently the five of us are-"

"Bang!" L cuts Yagami off with a simple finger pointed at them in the shape of a gun. They all awkwardly stare at him, silently questioning his sanity as he stands their hunched over having just fired a fake finger gun at them.

"What the hell was that?" Aziawa asks, patience and calmness were not keys in his speech. In fact, his patience is slowly dimming as each new, weird surprise unfolds to him every other second.

While they question his ability to remain somewhat normal, L question their stupidly, which shines brighter than the light bulbs above their heads, "If I were Kira you'd be dead, Mr. Sorichio Yagami, chief of the NPA" L states boredly as if it were obvious to everyone. Their astonishment is proof enough to L that they had no idea they were at risk.

"L, try not to scare them so much, otherwise they might leave." A voice says quietly from a striped couch deeper into the room. The NPA officers jump slightly at this noise, they believed L was the only one present in the room.

"Oh! Sorry sir! We didn't see you there," Matsuda, gaining his voice and bravely, speaks to the unknown person. His satisfaction with finally being able to not stumble over his words doesn't last for long because the voice soon reveals itself.

"I'm a girl, Mr. Matsuda," The girl reveals herself. She pulls off her dark hood that shadowed her face, letting her mass of black hair explode in every direction. Her eyes, which happen to be covered in dark brown contacts, gleam annoyance at Matsuda, who under her fearsome gaze, pales frightfully.

The others, quickly forgetting Matsuda's idiocy, are taken aback by her rough appearance. Dark circles cloud her eyelids much like L's, giving her the impression of a forever sleepiness. Her frame appears small and weak, fragile as if you could break her with a touch. The oversized hoodie and tight jeans contrast each other and as she stands up they take in her height and age.

"L, if you don't mind me asking, what is a child doing here?!" Yagami couldn't help but shout. A display of wonder and amazement spread across the other men at the fact that L found it suitable to keep a strange, little girl in an unpredictable place of danger.

"I'm fifteen you know," She says as if it didn't matter, sending a slight glare Yagami's way.

"You are still quite young, too young to be working on such a gruesome case," Yagami's disapproving eyes remind Kiko of Roger, except Roger's were quite more flustered and had more of a temper. Of course, she had actually done something that time.

What did age matter?

As Kiko is about to speak up and defend her years, L ruefully cuts her off, "It just so happens she is not working on the case. Though she is able to test high on difficult tests, it is all based on a photographic memory, something that would not benefit this case. When it comes to quick thinking she is not so fast. So-"

"I'm not stupid you know," She rolls her eyes at the detective's blunt behavior. Even after having gotten used to his informal, cruel honestly, it still got on her nerves. Working under someone so cautious for himself but could care less about others feelings drag on her like a wearisome sleep.

Ignoring the interruption, L continues, "_So_, she is working on another case for me to expand her abilities."

The other men remain doubtful, shaking their heads in disapproval, "But isn't it unsafe to keep her here in such a...dangerous environment?" Aziawa asks for the group. Each of them let their wide eyes continue to scan the odd pair, especially the child who happens to harden her gaze even more.

"It's not as if we go flaunting around telling people who we are, Mr. Aziawa." L remarks with a cool voice.

This is the point where Kiko begins to tune out L's babbling about names and faces, a theory she's heard many times before. L found it continually amusing to rub in the fact that he was taking on a truly difficult challenge this time, but of course, this one happened to be more risk. So evidently, her focus is on the sinking anger in her chest from the prospect of things.

She did not want L to take the case, not at all.

_Flashback_

_L removes his finger from the speaker button. A snide smirk could almost be seen cowering at the corners of his cheeks. Having finally challenged Kira directly would finally jumpstart the grueling war that's been working up to this point._

_Things were about to change drastically._

_"You're an idiot, you know," Out of the secluded dark corner came Kiko, wearing an incensed expression. She approaches the crouched detective with much air around her, stomping her feet as she went almost like an exasperated child._

_"You are still worried?" L asks monotonously, letting his fingers snatch up a pearly wrapped lollipop, "Haven't I told you the percentage of me failing is very low?" His fingers undress the lollipop with much ease before he slips his prize into the cavern of his mouth._

_Kiko glowers heavily, "That's not the point L!" She snatches the detective's sucker from out of his mouth -a deed most regrettable- and throws it across the room where it hits the wall with a crack and broke unwillingly apart. Watari would, yet again, have to clean up after her and L's little squabbles._

_"That was unnecessary," L looks sadly at the destroyed sucker, feeling remorse at such a sad waste, "You are much too emotional on this case, Kiko. It is not your case to fear for, it's mine and therefore you are to no longer destroy my food over it." L digs out another lollipop from his pocket, smiling slightly with eager anticipation._

_"Does it honestly look like I care about your stupid candy? I'm worried for your life!"_

_"I will be fine."_

_She persists, "No you won't-"_

_"That is enough, Kiko, L. Please refrain from throwing anymore objects than necessary." Watari, having heard the argument from the other side of the hotel suite, steps in with kind, good-natured voice, but in such a way that silence the two of them immediately._

_But they both knew L had won the round..._

_End of Flashback_

_Kiko's P.O.V_

I can't help but sigh despondently at the thought of L and I fighting over such a costly thing. L's life is worth so much more than some petty case, even if Kira had killed millions and is going to kill even more. It just seems like too much of a risk to take on such a brutally difficult case.

L sees this as a war, a competition between himself and the mass-killer Kira, though I have no doubt this "Kira" sees it as the same way, a battle between good verses evil, a fight to the death. However, they both believe they are in the right.

I want Kira dead, but I don't want L's life to be the price...

Drifting back into reality, I hear L's voice, "Please turn off all cell phones, handhelds, and any other communication devices and leave them on the table right there," L gestures to the checkered table before slouching into the lounging room. I follow without much care and plop myself onto one of the cream chairs.

Over the rustling of electronics being turned off, I hear the man with the strange hair say, "What? Do you think we're going to be using our cell phones during this meeting to leak information?" His annoyance is clear and I can already tell his distaste for L's odd habits.

The leader of their small group quickly calms the other down, "It's alright, just do what he says." He's already exasperated and he hasn't even sat down. Working with L will prove very wearisome on them; it certainly was on me, but I've somehow grown accustomed to it, even to the point where I like the tiresome feeling that falls upon me after solving a minor case L confronts me with.

Or maybe it's just become a tendency.

"I realize he's been cautious from the very beginning, but I still can't tell if he trusts us or not," Matsuda, I believe that's his name, says with much question in his tone. What an idiot. This is L we're talking about; of course he's going to use caution through every step of the process. It's what you have to do to survive the game.

"No, I just find them distracting. I can't stand it when people's cell phones are ringing when I'm trying to talk," A mental slap in the face is what I receive for thinking L had a logical reason for no cell phones. Then again, this is L we're talking about.

Either he is logical to the point of percentages or he's outrageous in anything and everything he does.

It's usually the latter.

L situates himself into his fetal position on one of the chairs. As he adjusts his legs under his torso he says, "Let me start by saying nobody takes notes on anything that's said in these meetings. That means when we leave headquarters any information we need is committed to memory. Please make yourself comfortable."

The group of men only continue to be shocked as they take the strange sight of L crouching over in his chair, which is a strange sight indeed, but one they must grow used to. Each man lingers for a moment before abiding on and taking a seat on the couches and chairs. Due to lack of chairs, Aziawa is left standing gawkily by my chair.

"Kiko, please leave." L sprouts out. I only gape accordingly at such a rude command that came as unexpectedly as a storm comes in the luxurious heat of summer. Ignoring the dark orbs of his, I continue to sit in my seat, claiming it mine and not the man's.

"Kiko..." His warning tone arises, regarding me with no pity as I look at him with dejected eyes, a card I was able to play often on him before he figured out my game. The other men fall for it to my advantage.

"L, if she's working for you then why must she go?" A befuddled Matsuda asks, scratching his head like a dumbfounded child, which he most likely is at heart. A feeling of pride swells up as I see I am still able to play with people's emotions because of my diminutive size, something I was never able to do while I was at Whammy's.

Of course, L doesn't fall for my sly plan, "Kiko is not apart of this case. She's heard everything about the case before and thus her presence here is invalid for our use. Besides," He turns to me with slanted eyes, "Kiko still needs to work on the case I assigned to her."

Giving up the already lost fight, I abide to L's demands and leave the chair to Aziawa. I stalk away resentfully to the open kitchen where I can still watch if I hide skillfully behind my open laptop. Watari smiles as I plop down on a revolving stool, shoving food my way, trying to get me to eat.

He always says I'm so fragile.

I overlook the plate full of steaming food and take center on L's explanation of his plan on luring Kira out. From an outsider's view is plan seems perfectly flawless and would no doubt succeed in anyway imaginable, but there are still ways it could go wrong.

L knows this; he swims in it with his own pride and refuses to change this course of action. There is no other way but this. There is no way to bring down Kira without taking a risk. I am beginning to grow sick of hearing these same lines over and over directed at me.

It's the same thing he said when he told me these naive men would be joining us.

_Flashback_

_The sun blinds the room with bright rays as the curtains remain open. People look like tiny little dots beneath the glass, moving around, bumping into one another; it was hard to tell who was who. The sun floats over ahead, hanging by some invisible force among the blue sea of sky._

_It is a ruthlessly boring day._

_L is going over file after file after file, studying each murder to see if Kira has slipped up somewhere down the line. His eyes would scan each document with brief intensity before moving onto the next like a schedule. As the documents pile up on the table and L's chance of finding a mistake growing slimmer, my eyes begin to droop out of sleepiness._

_As I attempt to stifle a yawn, caused by yet another long, dreary night, L murmurs from behind his wall of documents, "You should rest, Kiko." His voice sounds the same as usual as if not affected by the countless nights we spent awake, examining and looking for clues in these thousands of papers._

_The number of coffee cups on the table beside him grow in number as the case files do, signaling he was on full energy with caffeine bursting through his veins. Silently wishing I could drink as much sugar as he could, I wave off his suggestion with a hand and rest my chin under my other palm._

_"Also, I am going to form a taskforce with the NPA officers, so that we may have extra aid. They shall be coming here later..." I could see L's ominous eyes stare directly at me from over the stacks of papers. Of course then it finally clicks: help?_

_With a sudden grip of reality, I leap from my seat and onto my feet and gape notoriously at the watchful detective, "Help? Here? I thought you said you weren't going to reveal your face to anyone. Ever." I feel myself begin to glare at the intrepid detective and his stupidly daring actions, "When was this decided?"_

_"When I was talking to the officers earlier."_

_I could only gawk mutely at L, wondering vaguely if I should throw a pillow at him to bring his senses back. Dismissing the idea that was beginning to look very promising, I instead push his papers aside so I could see him clearly._

_And down they went, each important sheet of paper that L spent crucial time reading tumbles to the floor in a heap of words and notes. As they plunge down to the ground, L's eyes follow without much distaste or emotion. Instead, he simply continues to read the sheets that were left beside him on the couch, knowing well enough that I expected a better answer._

_L, finally taking notice that I had not lost my composure, says listlessly, "If you must know, I've been thinking over this for a while. It is the simple solution to the workload upon us, even if they are a quite dull. Having only you as a helping pair of hands is becoming damaging on your health." His eyes return to the line he left off of, ogling it with much concentration._

_"I can still help," I protest, though the yawn that escaped my throat did nothing to encourage my fight._

_"Even if you could help, you are supposed to be solving minor cases under Eraldo Coil and Deneuve, you know this. We must make sure that they are still noticed publicly as to not comprise the fact that L, Eraldo Coil, and Deneuve are all one person," He reaches over and grasps one of his sugar-filled coffee cups with the tips of slim fingers, "Furthermore, I assigned you the Mafia cases for a reason: to keep you away from this case." With his eyebrows raised, he sips his coffee slowly._

_I groan inwardly. The mafia cases were going nowhere for me. Every reknown, tarnished criminal are hiding their names and faces with all their willpower. If it is hard to get a simple name, then how am I to uncover their whole agenda, especially when there is a three-way war between the Italians, the Americans, and the Russian?._

_I rather do the Kira case._

_"I gave that case to you to expand your thinking range. You must learn to think out of text books and memory but of current events and reality. Your quick decision making skills need to be set higher than they are now." L had said this before; echoing it now only fuels my irritation for my inept._

_"But why not hire Aiber or Wedy? Why are you recruiting these...these...idiots?" I ask jadedly._

_L ignores me and continues to work heedlessly with a smirk pushing the edges of his lips up slightly._

_Jerk._

_End of Flashback_

The sound of a marker squeaking on a table brings my attention back to L. He was informing the Japanese men of all the information he and I were able to coin up through the pounds of documents, hours of brainstorming, and of course the video tapes we watched of a few criminals dying.

A name and a face is all Kira needs.

And of course the FBI agents.

When we caught word of the Americans distress over the alarming faith of their 12 agents in Japan, L miraculously saw that it was only a decoy to the real target amongst them, something I would never had caught on, and knew that Kira was being threatened by one of the agents.

The men gasp as L explains this to them, showing them a diagram on the table to bring a vivid image to their heads. His tone is strictly informative, telling them all the tiny little details, and of course, the plan of lying to Kira to lure him or her out -L assumes Kira is a guy, but I'm still believing there is no official way of knowing for sure until we have apprehended Kira and are able to take off the mask of his identity.

I admit his plan is quite clever and the chances of it affecting Kira somehow is lofty, but what will L do once Kira is out in the open? Will he rush after him, divulge his face, ignore the warnings? Will he succeed in capturing Kira or will all this be apart of Kira's plan...

But L will win...he has to...

"I suspect Kira had to be one of the people being investigated between the 14th and the 19h of December. In fact, I have no doubt," The men's gasps mix in with the scratching noise of L's marker. L brings out files from under the table and continues on, "These are files provided by the FBI and they contain additional information you might find useful. For obvious reasons you aren't permitted to take these out of this room, but-"

"Amazing! There might only be five of us, but with this much information we'll be able to cover a lot of ground!" Oh dear, the biggest idiot of them all, Matsuda, interrupts L, something no one can do. It's simply not permitted. A scowl crosses over the detective's face as they continue talking.

"We'll spilt into two teams; one team traces the FBI agents, the other looks at the heart attack victims." Aziawa sweeps up the interruption and extends it gradually.

They go on with their excited talk until L cuts in, "So, does anyone have any questions?" The look on his face is pure pleasure. His annoyance is unambiguous and makes his glare even more priceless.

"Actually, I have one question Ryuzaki," All eyes turned to the chief as he speaks up and I notice the name change briefly, realizing quickly that we are already using L's other alias. How he came up with the pseudonym is beyond me, but it possibly came from a previous case…a case I was not a part of.

"By us coming here does this mean you have already lost? By showing us your face are you admitting defeat?" The room immediately becomes tense with such an outlandish question and L's eyes light up at the odd occurrence of it. I cannot help but feel discomfort acknowledging the fact that L may be losing.

After a succinct pause, L's bites his thumb with thought and looks up to the ceiling, "That's right…by showing my face here I have lost the battle," L speaks casually, but then his eyes become fierce with a newfound fire, "But I will not lost the war. I've never risked my life on any case before. Kira will be brought down," And with a wide grin he says, "And Justice will prevail."

All the men begin to agree excitedly and with great enthusiasm over L's courageous words. L's bright smile melts into his stoic face with ease as his eyes flicker over and scan me with question. I only return his gaze with a nervous smile.

Though I wonder…if Justice will prevail…

Or if he's just lying.

_A few hours later…_

The childlike men disappear after L's examination of each of them to prove Kira isn't among us. L remains by the window, staring out to the dazzling city lights below. He looks lost in his own percentages and blaring thoughts.

I feel the need to go over to the witty detective, ask him questions, encourage his theories of Kira, but I am frozen in my spot on the kitchen stool. Not moving an inch, I've lingered where I am since L spoke words of integrity, but the want to go to the flimsy man is stronger than ever even when his intimidation is impending off his form.

"Were you lying?" I say quietly, hoping he could hear me.

"What do you mean?" He turns to face me, his bent back curves up in inquiry. I sit up straighter as I am being analyzed by those dark, hiding eyes.

Feeling poise, I speak louder, "L, how are you going to bring down Kira with mere justice? What if you are forced down to his level? Will you take heartless actions against him?" I hide my face with the sleeve of my jacket, pretending to wipe my eyes when really blinding his view of my face.

"Kiko…" I peek from above my sleeve and see his eyes study me feverously, "Kira will be brought down by whatever means necessary," He goes to the couch and settles himself on it, "Kira is a dangerous violent criminal who will do anything to see his vision created. We will have to take drastic measures against such a person."

I exhale softly, having known the answer before he said it brings me no hurt or fear, but leaves a bitter mark anyway. I remove myself from the stool with a great deal of soreness –sitting in the same position for hours proves that it becomes very uncomfortable after a while. I walk towards my room solemnly, passing L as he drops more sugar into his coffee.

"However…" His voice stops me in my tracks, "I will never sink as low as him. Murder is murder no matter for any reason," He sips his drink gingerly as I stand in my place, stunned by such an answer. His reassurance gives me some console as I persist my way to the soft sheets that lie on my bed.

But an arbitrary question comes to mind and I suddenly ask without much thought, "L, where did you come up with the alias 'Ryuzaki'?" I watch as he stiffens coldly, lowering his cup from his lips but does not speak. Confused by his sudden aloofness, I utter, "L, are you going to answ-"

"It is not for you to know."

I am taken aback by his reply. He looks at me from the side and his eyes hold something I have never quite met before... anger. Never has he directly rejected a question like that, usually he'll twist it into a question of his own… Why can't I know?

Throwing the question from my mind, I go to my room, shut the door behind me, and let my body fall to the silk sheets that loll on the bed. My eyes droop with dreariness as the alias flickers back and forth in my mind…

Ryuzaki…

* * *

_Holy crap I did it -.- How did you like it? Love or hate, TELL ME! And your reward with be my famous virtual muffins!!! I'll be doing updates as fast as possible…but life is utterly busy o.o Also the genre will frequently change lol XD_

-On a side note- All the kiddies who read B.T. from beginning to end will get the inside joke with the disclaimer character of this chapter XD


	2. Monster

_Had to rewrite this chapter again cause it got deleted -.- I literally through my keyboard at the wall XD. The things I do for you people... ENJOY!_

Now for the disclaimer with... Ulquiorra!!!!!!!  
Ulquiorra: ....Who are you?  
Me: -drools-  
Ulquiorra: ...Unintelligent human I see. This trash doesn't own anything.  
Me: -faints-_

* * *

_

_Third Person POV_

_The silence is deafening. No one is around. Darkness consumes the very breath of existence until it fades away into a lost world unknown to all._

_It's dark._

_It's black._

_It's peaceful, so very peaceful. _

_The comforting sounds of nothing and the absence of life make this wistful illusion seem like a fairytale. Reality floats away as peace pulls it's warm, soft blanket over everything. It doesn't make sense. There's no way to comprehend it, but it's so serene and calm... _

SPLASH!

"Holy shit!" Kiko leaps out of the now soaking blankets as the shock of the cold drips down her face. L, with his eyes dark and full of a curious humor, looms over her, inspecting the shivering girl as Kiko shakes off the water.

There is a bucket in his hand.

Kiko connects it together and glares harshly at L, "W-what w-w-was that f-for!?" Her body convulses with shivers as she slides out of the damp bed.

"Well, if I used hot water you might have been hurt," L says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. He tosses the bucket away so that it rolls to an empty, secluded corner where guilt washes over its steel form as Kiko brushes off more droplets from her face.

The irritated teen shakes her head rapidly, "No, I mean why did you dump water on me?! I was sleeping for Christ's sake! I haven't slept in days," This was true; the baggy circles under her eyes were enough evidence, "Why couldn't you just shake me or something?"

"I did. You wouldn't wake up."

"So, you poured water on me?"

"Drastic measures were called for." Kiko huffs at this and proceeds to strip her wet sweatshirt away from her body, leaving her in an exposing tank, which L promptly covers his eyes for. She throws the black heap of drenched fabric under the hotel bed and reaches into her closet to pull out a violet zip-up.

As L hears the sound of a zipper being pulled, he removes his hand from his obsidian eyes and speaks out, "There is a reason for your abrupt awakening," Kiko narrows her eyes at him as steps into her closet to change out of her sweats, "L raises his voice as she shuts the door with a click, "They are here."

In a matter of seconds there was a loud crashing sound followed by a series of curses. Then, in a brash of impolite words, groans, and mess, the closet door slams open with a disheveled Kiko breathing in the doorway, "You're actually serious?! Your letting them help?"

"Why of course," L slouches toward the door and cocks his head over his shoulder, "I want you there to watch the briefing so you can get a feel on what your work will be like in the future."

The dark-haired girl snorts at this, "I thought I'm just going to be an assistant to your successor. Now, I'm being trained to work on gruesome cases involving the most evil of insane criminals?" She fixes her pants so that they are no longer hanging off her waist and scampers towards the bed to dig out a surviving dry blanket to pat her hair with. Anger still scratched in her throat as she felt the chilled hotel room air spike at her skin.

"You shall see," Kiko hears the click of the door and sighs at the impending outlook. Clearly, those men were idiots. How on earth could they possibly be any help to the brilliant L?

There's no possible way.

Kiko could barely fathom what the next few weeks (or months, depending on how long this particular case would take) and all the bizarre, rushed events that could possibly happen. There could be the arrest of the world's cruelest criminal, a riot, chaos, or even…

"Death…" Kiko whispers to herself as if the word was venom on her lips.

She expresses an open look of disgust and quickly shakes away from those thoughts. Pondering on silly, questionable things was not going to change the imminent fact that L could very well be doomed.

But she desperately wished she could.

A yawn escapes the pits of her gullet as she steps out of the confides of her room and to the start meeting. The five Japanese men glance at her as L greets them with absent gratitude, rejecting their held out hands with distaste, "I am not fond of shaking hands Chief Yagami."

The chief of is taken aback by this rude statement, "Oh, yes, of course…"

Kiko slumps to one of the cushioned chairs and sat herself down in their squishy ease. L takes his seat as lead, grabbing the cup full of sugared coffee in front of doing so and the other five men took theirs with mild fashion and nervousness seeping through their actions.

When L's eyes turned to Kiko's covered, there was a slight discontent hidden amongst the vast black. Kiko took this as a note to leave them at it; observe not take part of, which was his meaning. Sighing, she got up to move to a faraway couch where her laptop full of all the data she had thus acquired lay.

She hears L tell them the results of his questioning and they breathed in relief at the result. It would have painfully obvious if either of them were Kira, so they shouldn't have even held on to their worry in the first place.

L doesn't make mistakes.

At least, mistakes that Kiko knows about.

Kiko couldn't quite concentrate with L's deep voice protruding in every direction and the ringing of a cell phone didn't quite help, "Understood. I'm just about finished here anyway. You've got the key so let yourself in," One of the men, Matsuda, Kiko presumed, looks slightly miffed with his arms crossed and a scowl clouding his face.

'Pathetic…' She thought. If you were going to become furious with L then it needs to be about some more… relevant.

"Watari is on his way," L says with the men's gasps echoing. Kiko fought back a grin as she thought of the men's reactions to Watari's grandfather-like appearance as opposed to the sly, secretive man for L.

The sound of a door beeping and unlocking brought all their attention to the front.

_Kiko's POV_

"Hello, Watari," I say quietly from my seat. My head turns in time for his hand to pat my head with a gentle consideration. His eyes are solemn and wise as he watches the five men with and eager intent in his eye.

"Gentlemen, it's an honor to meet all of you," As an English man would, he took his hat off in respect to the new people before him. I stile a laugh as their shocked faces spread.

"Um… what about your usual outfit?" The young and oh-so naïve Matsuda asks. I tear myself away from the couch and move towards the window seat for a better view of the scene before me. L's eyes follow as I do, his fingers digging into his thighs as I challenge his stare with a rebellious smirk and sit down.

Watari, never faltering in his stance even when he can sense the childish annoyance L gives off when I'm ruefully ignoring his wishes, speaks up against this rash comment, "If I dressed like that then I would be announcing to the world that I am Watari. That's all it takes for to give away headquarters and Ryuzaki."

Matsuda looks beaten down like a sad puppy whose just been punished for chewy on the sofa. Watari has that effect on most people: polite as a ghost and never cruel or mean, but also intense to the point where you're almost afraid to talk t him outside of anything but a hello and goodbye.

The only exception is L whose pride carries him to heights far beyond Watari's stiff yet kind nature. Watari had always treated L like a son, but I wonder if L sees him as a father… the thought has passed by in a blur or haze but asking L this would be like knocking on steel with a pencil.

With L's shell coating him with its protectiveness it's hard to figure out anything from the man other than his sneak grins and sugar fetish. L can read anyone like an open book but he closes himself off to their eyes; I've tried so hard to figure him out over these past years.

Complication is the only way to truly describe L's quirks, attitude, and stature.

Perhaps I'm still a little put off by the fact that no matter how hard I try L always seems to break through any barriers I put up, reads my thoughts, and analyzes them. If he asks what's wrong and I respond with a simple fine, it's as if pouring blood over yourself in front of a hungry lion.

L's ability is certainly not a horrific thing –it's come in handy so many times when trying to put a profile to the culprit, but it gives off the eerie affect of either having the chance to help or to thoroughly ruin you even more. With the emotion in his left hand, he uses the right to mold it into what he wants you to feel, happy, sad, angry, frustrated, it's endless.

This only adds to his unfathomable secrets and skills which are further nurtured by Watari. Watari is there to see those abilities being performed at top level, no mistakes, no failure.

But what about Kira? Is there a chance that Kira could be equally intelligent, brilliant, and smart? Could Kira possibly figure out L's moves and consequently…

Outsmart L?

It's so foreign to hear such a thought go through my mind.

Obviously, Kira is no fool. He or she has been able to thus far kill thousands of criminals without leaving a single trace of evidence. Either he's incredibly smart or just… something else entirely. But what?

"Could you please pass them out to everyone?" My thoughts are shattered as my focus is brought back to Watari and L as they deal with the situation of the police badges.

What am I even worrying about these things? I'm here to watch, play the audience, act like the deist God, letting the action betray before him. I should be more worried about not putting a dent in those stupid Mafia cases L assigned me.

It's expected that the Mafia's veiled faces are the only criminals truly safe from Kira. So, I get it passed to me by L and told to take care of it before the reckless mafia wars get out of hand and become even more illegal and violent.

Idiots.

Watari nods and continues on, "Gentlemen, these are your new police IDs." The quirked their eyebrows as if stunned. Do they honestly not know the dangers of Kira?

"But what for?" One of them asks.

"Are names and ranks are false…?" The next, slightly older, chief inquires.

"Why did you give us fake IDs?" God, do they really not know? Did L tell them anything?

Irritated mainly for L's sake because they are so dull, I answer his question, "It's for your protection, obviously." True, the snotty tone was not vital but it gave me a wave of satisfaction that they seemed to comprehend these thoughts.

"Yes," L takes up where I left off, "She's right. As you know, Kira requires a name and a face to kill. We will confront him with that premise in mind," Ulkita, the shorter and more quiet of the Japanese men, immediately protests but with Yagami's consolation and L's tense look, he promptly shuts up.

As L explains the procedures about the IDs and all the what to do ifs, my mind drifts off again as my eyes trail the window frame that has my eyes leading down to the ground that looks as flat as a painting from this high floor.

The clouds gather in the sky like a cluster of shadows and they quickly try to gain the strength to let loose all the rain that they hold from within. Not entirely memorized by their sleet look, but all the same fascinated, I gaze into the clouds until I know for certain that they realize they are being intently watched.

My name brings me back to reality, "And Kiko, you shall wear this to ensure your protection for your own identify," My eyes swoop over to Watari as he pulls out a horribly slick-looking mass of hair.

I look over to L and see a bent of the head and a solemn look, the basic unspoken speech for _this is serious. _Nothing could make me believe L's hushed words. The wig itself was a joke.

As opposed to my ragged, dark, shaggy hair, the disguise was long and glossy, platinum blond with a silver tint. It looks like Watari had ripped it off one of those American celebrities. The strands of every hair were razored to perfection, matching each other in an undulating motion. There were no layers, no creases, no mistakes; it gave off the aroma of perfection.

I gave L my most sardonic look, "You have got to be kidding me."

Watari intervened with a grave dissatisfaction, "You need something that counters what you look like now. I apologize if it will be uncomfortable for you." He was referring to my eyes as well in between the lines. First I get handed off contacts to protect me from suspicion and now a wig for identify.

If I used my real name they would have probably given me an alias as well.

I nodded to Watari with mild disgust as I took the delicate thing away from him. I shove it away from me to the other side of the windowsill as if the very sense of it near me would make me gag.

"You are to wear that at all times outside a hotel room, understand?" L tries to mask the worry in his tone, but for some odd reason I could still see it there. I gave him a reassuring nod to ease the stress away from his face.

L takes a sip from the tea as Watari took up the explanation, holding out one of his modified belts, "Very well then, I'd like to request that you where these at all times. Each one has a transmitter hidden in the buckle. This will allow Ryuzaki to monitor your whereabouts and when you press the button twice like this," Watari demonstrated as the men persisted to gape like fish, "My cell phone will ring, displaying your name and I'll call you back immediately but you won't see my number displayed…" Watari's explanations can often be long and informative.

I am now blended into the wall, watching the scene unfold with mild interest and humor, "No way! This is totally cool! I feel like some secret agent going after Kira!" Oh Matsuda…

"Quiet Matsuda! This is no time to be fooling around," Yagami is good at silencing his subordinates.

"Yes, sir…" Very good.

The men slip on their belts without much more commotion and sat back down in their claimed spots. Their enthrallment with their innovative gadgets seemed to be evident as their hands kept unconsciously sliding against the new steel buckle. It was like giving a child a toy gun and telling him to be a spy; they were engrossed with the idea of catching Kira once and for all.

At least they had determination, but I wonder if it will be enough in the end.

I pull my feet up onto the windowsill to sit cross-legged like a child watching a motivating movie unfold. L drops two more cubed sugars into his increasingly gelatinous mass of paste liquid. There were slight looks of revulsion that ran throughout some of the men's faces, particularly Aziawa and Mogi.

With a stare of blatant thought, L suddenly queries, "Oh, come to think of it, who is at the police station right now?" The police officers give each other dim looks.

"Actually, no one's there at the moment," Yagami answers.

"That's not good news. We need someone there at all times. Work in shifts if you have to," A look of anxiety crosses my face as I think of something a bit troublesome.

I say my thoughts out loud, "Is there a chance someone might have come in with some useful information and we missed them?" L, not at a startled by my question, glimpses at me for a second with his thumb climbing its way to the caverns of his mouth.

"I highly doubt it. Almost all the tips we've received thus far were through numerous phone calls. The one's that did come to the police station were only upset and distressed over their loved one's loss. As of now, all the tips have proved useless," L chews his thumb with thought before adding, "But someone needs to be down there just in case anything happens."

Yagami nods in agreement, "Alright, Aziawa I'll put you in charge of that for today." I stuck my head onto my hand as it balances on my knee in a wobbly manner. My hair fell down over onto one side as my head cocked left to fit perfectly against my palm.

Aziawa stood up, "Yes, sir, I'm on my way. It won't take me long." He grabbed his jacket that hung from trench coat for the hanger near the entrance and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

"By the way, Kiko…" I let my hand turn my head for me. L looks as if he was about to say something important, something fastidious, but the tea he drank stops his sentence short. Anticipation sprung my heart within a second as he sips excruciatingly slow. Perhaps he would say 'You don't need to fret so much over this case,' or 'That was a good question to ask,' or even 'I need your help,' Help. Maybe that's it…

'He finished drinking and spoke stridently, "Why aren't you working on your case? Have you finished already?" I mentally slap myself.

"I'm taking a break."

"But during your break someone could very well be killed."

"…" L had a knack at making people feel like imprudent jerks. Deciding not to push the struggle –and not to give L any more reason to hide his tempting smirk, I stand up from my seat to stretch and head over to my abandoned laptop to try and crack down through the abundance of codes and messages the Russian Mafia had obscured over itself.

"You forgot your wig." I halt my steps and bite back a groan at the thought of keeping that dire thing. If only Watari wasn't so kind so that I could rip the thing up in his face without feeling any remorse.

I turn on heel and strode past the men as they talk amongst themselves about Kira, and the murders, and more Kira. Grabbing my blonde disguise, I look out the window to see Aziawa walking out the hotel. My eyes trail down his path and catch sight of a couple standing in the middle of a sidewalk with a-

Oh my God… what is that?!

A freakish, floating creature hovers near the women and man, waving its arms around in a snickering manner and howling at the wind as if no one can notice him. But wait… they don't see it; they can see the… the…

Monster.

I'm seeing things! Oh God… I'm becoming insane. Its strangling arms are and legs are as thin and crippled as a skeleton. Its body is a mixture of black and blue with a peculiar outfit covering it that makes it seem more and more like a demented clown. Huge, bony, bat-like wings protrude out of back and the presence around it seems to be dark and gloomy.

It laughs and laughs and laughs.

And it looks up with his yellow eyes to the window where I'm at. It cackles and shrieks like death is its best friend. The creature doubles over and I step back in shock. It looks so real, so sinister, so uncanny…

So there.

Why is it laughing? Why am I seeing things? Is it real or not?! So many questions flood my mind, causing everything to become hazy and deformed except for that monster as it jeers, twitches, and laughs.

I'm crazy.

"Kiko? What's wro-"

_Black consumes all_

"Oh crap! She fainted!"

"Quiet Matsuda!"

* * *

_Oh how I love picking on Matsuda :3. BT somehow just (as in one second ago) reached 100 faves. Now, I wonder... where are all those people who faved and reviewed? XD I'm just being selfish. Your all probably doing... interesting things o.o. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! We also missed the aniversary of this whole fic XD. Over a year old and still going! -.- _

_Review like your life depended on it (and for the muffins really)._

**_I love my reviewers!_**

**Nico Hayakinth: **First review is legit XD. I hope it is too -sweatdrop- Trust me, he'll get worse XD. Funny? Well, okay then! Thanks for the review!

**kaitlynmagic**: Yes, but if she pranced around in red eyes the poor Japanese people would flip XD. It will probably follow the Death Note line (to an extent) but I am saying nothing about the ending :) Be prepared for anything. Thanks for the review!

**Lita Takanashi:** Thanks! ^.^ The story won't exceed 30 chapters, but I don't think I'm going to use a timeskip. Thanks for the review!

**Amaya-Ai**: Ah so lazy XD Just kidding. Oooh I shall have to check that out! Thanks for the review!

**mwaetht:** Thanks a bunch! Hahahaha oh wow your review had me laughing so hard, which is really bad taste when you think about it. I promise to update sooner than I usually do :3

**Kiptracx**: :D Thanks! I know. For some reason I keep writing super long chapters o.o Next one will be shorter though... I hope. It comes from The novel: Another Note Los Angeles BB Murder Cases ;D. YES! -epic fail- That's very amazing considering that its... well... me XD. GET IT Beyond... Kiko... revealed at the very end of the last chapter of BT XD.

**Waiting and Dying Forever**: Thanks!

**wonton-chan:** It has hasn't it? Thank you very much!

**TheEvilMuffinToaster:** O.O Tis' okay. I get the same feeling every moment of every day XD. Your baby-sitting a rock? True true! Mikami had an epic death while Light rolled around in puddles. Thanks XD. I fear for Beyond because you soun just like him :D

**Usagi323:** Thanks! Did anyone read the Another Note: Los Angeles BB Murder Cases?! Okay, well, Beyond used the alias Ryuzaki when he was ith Misora and L later took it as his own when he runs into Misora (though, Misora doesn't know who he is but she thinks he looks alot like B, who copied L) and says his name is Ryuzaki.

**puddingcup**: You lazy bum XD. I never noticed that about him o.o Thanks!


	3. Delete

_Hehe... late update again. Been busy, BUT the ultra, amazing, spectacular kind of busy ;D But hey! It's quite long, don't you think? And there's a speacial surprise at the end XD Anyway, new update~_

Now for the disclaimer with......... the joker :D (SUPER INSIDER)!

Me: Holy crap! Who let him in here?!  
Audience: o.o  
Joker: Let's put a smile on that face :) -waves a knife-  
Me: I'm good...  
Audience: O.O  
Joker: How about the audience?  
Audience... 0.0  
Joker: Can I show you a magic ttrick?  
Me: NO! Just do the disclaimer!  
Joker: Aww... but I can make a pencil disappea-  
Me: Do the flippin' disclaimer!  
Joker: Why so serious? This little girl owns nothing.  
Me: I'm not little!!!!

* * *

_Hands slide up and down my arms, up and down my legs, covering my mouth, stifling my screams, and I can do nothing to stop it. I move and jerk with every touch, but their restraints envelop my body and all I can do is think away the pain._

_Where am I? _

_This is not home. Home is where love and laughter is spread amongst everyone and not even a frown can last long in its cheery environment. Home is love, love is home. But home was taken away from me… _

_Have I lost love too? _

_Why won't their hands stop? Nothing is around. I can't see anything in this dark place except for large yellow eyes mixing into snickering red ones. I can't hear anything but laughter. My mind is lost to their touches. Where is my savior? Where is the one who comes to rescue girls like me…_

_I'm crying. I'm crying. I'm losing. I'm losing. I'm dying. I'm dying. I'm dead. I'm dead._

_I'm dead…_

SPLASH!

"STOP!" I screech with the shrill of my voice lowering as my eyes pop open. Everything s bright and blurry, the light outshines all. As my eyes adjust I see seven figures looming over me with worried looks and glances.

L, Watari, and the four remaining police officers exchange nervous grimaces as I take in my environment. They are so large, so that means… I'm on the floor. Why am I on the floor? And why am I wet again?

L gives me a bored look and states, "You fainted." In his hands is the same steel bucket he used last time when he desired using water as a wake-u method. I see reflection within its shiny gaze: dark circles that could challenge L's, a shaking body, an almost invisible sweat forming on my brow; I look like a complete mess.

"Are you okay?! What happened?! Why did you say _stop_?!" The over-excited Matsuda bends down to scream all these ridiculous questions into my face. I feel my bubble slowly being pushed to the limit as the energized idiot continues to further himself into my personal space.

"Matsuda, calm yourself," L saves the day, "Kiko is just very tired. Am I right" To his question I nod, though I'm still confused and shivering due to the cold water now dripping through my sweater and on my skin. Watari pulls me up by my hands and I lean on his for support with graciousness.

"Thanks for the water, L," I covered up my scowl loosely, but did not notice it. Disdain bites my tongue and tone as I convulse next to Watari as the chill increases.

"You're welcome," Sarcasm is obviously not in L's many languages.

I move forward but almost completely collapse again. That dream still echoes in my memory and makes me wish hadn't lost my control like that. Medicine is what keeps those horrific images away. They dull my mind and cause me to feel moody at times, but their side effects are nothing compared to the illusive horrors of those dreams.

I don't know where L had got the pills from, but three weeks into my stay with him I had a terrifying nightmare of that disastrous day again varied with images of Mello, Matt, and Near in pain. It left me screaming awake and alerted L and Watari immediately, seeing as they are they are nocturnal with night.

The next day L had handed me off some medicine to stop those dreams from coming back to haunt my sleep. They work tremendously if I take them before I fall asleep. If not then the dreams come back with a fighting roar and I'm left defenseless once again.

I haven't had a nightmare for years, ever since that night that caused L to give me the pills in the first place.

"Come on, child. You need your rest," Watari urges me to my room with little force, but enough to where I follow his footsteps along. I can tell he's bothered as I notice his brow crease is heavily deep.

"Have a nice rest, Kiko," L says from behind. If I had enough energy I would have stuck my tongue out at him, partly because I know he was half the reason for my passing out. I needed that sleep for a reason.

But the other half was that…

Monster.

It was probably a hallucination. Yes, from sleep-deprivation. After all, no one else saw it. No one else screamed, fainted, or ran away in terror –though I only did one of these things, I feel it is as bad as doing all three together. I'm not crazy or insane. It was just my mind playing tricks on me.

It's not real.

But why does a part of mind keep fighting back and saying _it is_?

_A Few Days Later…_

It was the dead of night and the only light that illuminated the room came from the fuzzy screens from half a dozen or so televisions. With rest in my system I was now wide awake and ready for action, or at least, ready to start working on my case, which was beginning to become depressingly cold and unsolved.

L sat in his usual crouched position on a cushioned couch beside me as I tapped away on my computer. I could detect the slurping noises he made as he annoyingly licked his ice cream. The only particular reason I was there was because L needed a second pair of eyes to watch the tapes with him.

The other members of the taskforce, well… they were beaten down by the attacks of sleep, tiredness, and longing to return home after working for almost twelve hours straight. They wouldn't be much help to L now other than naming on tapes and reading off files. Already there were two men passed out from exhaustion in the other room. Mogi and Ukita couldn't handle the all-nighter they were faced with.

As Watari continued to pass out mint ice cream to the exhausted Japanese me, Matsuda mumbled on, reading the file word for word and occasionally suppressing a yawn. I would sometimes have to prevent a grin from spreading across my lips as I look up and see everyone about ready to crash and L obliviously licking his cone.

"It's quite strange don't you think?" L says all of a sudden. The men's look to him with questioning glances.

"I'm sorry what do you find strange?" Yagami asks, his eyes blurry and slipping close every now and then. Matsuda picks up the question, "Yea, what is it?"

Once L swallows his morsel of ice cream he answer them in a enlightening tone, "We know that Ray Penber got on the train and an hour and a half later he got off and died on the platform, but the Yamanote line only takes an hour to complete its circuit. More importantly-"

"-The envelope. He's has an envelope hidden under his arm before he gets on the train, but afterwards its gone," I stole L's discovery with much hilarity, "Penber must have left it on the train either on accident or more possibly for someone to pick up. And there was-"

"No envelope listed under his articles he left behind. So the envelope must have been left on the train," L returns my interruption with his own rebuttal. The other men seem to not notice our quarrel and are, instead, amazed.

Aziawa voices the group's opinion, "Your both right! He's holding the envelope right here as he's passing through the ticket gate," Aziawa gesture to one of the screen and moves to the next, "But right here it's gone! How did you two catch that?!"

"Skills," I reply with a jaded voice.

L glances at me with a bit of annoyance, "Precisely. And if you watch closely at the end here," L forwards the tape a little, "It looks as if he's straining to look at what's inside the train before the doors close."

I tilt my head to the side emphasize the screen before me. I see Ray Penber stretching out like a lazed cat on the ground, but I cannot tell if this is merely from the pain of the heart attack or what L says. I twist my head to L and ask, "Why do you think he's straining to see inside the train?"

L lets the question linger in the air for a moment as he licks the smooth curve of his ice cream before he answers, "I'm not sure exactly. Most likely the person who picked up the envelope, but wouldn't it be funny if Kira was on that train?"

Yagami looks to L with a look of disbelief, "That's impossible."

"Anything is possible with this case," I remark in a somewhat amused tone. L nods his head as he gnaws on his thumb.

"We have to consider all possibilities with this case, though I find it hard to believe that Kira would take such a risk and go to his own crime when he can kill at a distance, but maybe he was counting on us to make that assumption and figured he could get away with making such a bold move," L finishes off with another lick to his now destroyed ice cream.

Everyone else merely stares with shock as they ponder over L's ideas and theories.

Including me.

The thought that Kira could have been right under our noses… right there on the screen waiting for Penber's death… it's…

Absurd.

But L has never been wrong before…

_The Next Day…_

Clues, codes, secret files, secret systems, trails, dead ends…

I swear hacking is a damn maze.

For hours now, I've sat in the same spot clicking away on different archive and records. My eyes are wide and searching, looking for a clue of some kind to be of any help. The contacts burn a bit around the edges, but I push away that pain and focus on the task at hand.

I'm sure the task force is here by now. I feel commotion stirring around me, but like a caged animal with a drape over its case, I don't see, hear, or notice any of it. My eyes are glued to the shining screen before me as I get closer and closer to my target.

I can sense it now, a breakthrough, is evident within only a few minutes. I've somehow managed to race the phone calls of a lower subordinate (a throw away, really) to one of the officials of the American Mafia who are one of the Russian's rivals and a deadly fighter in this unspoken war.

Obviously this head man is terribly careful with everything around his, possibly due to years of suspicion and distrust around him. He has zero contacts, zero memory in his last calls, and basically makes his phone seem unused and ignored.

However, using some tricks Matt taught me, I've managed to find a hidden contact list with names and faces attached. It could be a hit list, but because most of the men look gruff, derision, and fresh out of jail, I doubt it is. Most hit lists vary in their gender, age, and social status of its victims. This list has basically only one type: criminals. And though there is a slight chance the Mafia wants to copy Kira, it's unlikely.

"Ray Penber's fiancée?" The familiar name causes me to look up with interest at what new information L might be receiving. I see the clever detective standing a bit hunched with a staggered look crossing his face, "Naomi Misora… I've heard that name before..." L tells Watari who immediately begins to type.

L recognizes that name; I can see it in his features: his eyes are probing for an answer, his mouth is quivering as it does when he's trying to remember something, and his fingertips grip the phone tighter with apprehension.

Naomi Misora? L rarely gets close to people that aren't from Whammy's, and even then, the only kids he has a true relationship with are Mello, Near, and Matt. So who is this girl? Who is she to L?

I minimize my search through the contact list and open up another window. As I type in Naomi Misora, my mind races through the possible relations L might have with a women. I highly doubt that it's a precedent girlfriend of sorts –L is way too antisocial for that to even be a possibility. From what Watari has told me, L entered Whammy house when he was very young, so it can't be someone from his past life. Maybe she might have been from one of his old cases…

Within seconds a flood of newspaper articles, FBI files, and police records pop up all over my screen. Dazzled by the sudden results, I quickly run through the FBI files and find that she is (or was, as it says she retired) a brilliant agent in Los Angeles. My old home city brings a pang to my heart, but I dash away such emotion and continue on.

The newspaper articles mention headlines like, "Wara Ningyo Murders Solved!" and, "Locked Room Killing's Culprit Caught!" and then the more catchy title, "FBI Agent Solves the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases!" For some apparent reason, I qualm she actually committed any crime (she was an FBI agent and it says a women solved the cases). Upon closer inspection, Misora was the women they referred to.

Misora solved these LA crimes… but what exactly were the LA BB Murder Cases? I at last go to the LA police records and see a detailed explanation of what happened. Did L get involved in this somehow? Usually L doesn't get involved with such minor cases, but there's no other way he could have know the girl…

Personal reasons?

But what could those be…

I scroll down the file and find a rather disturbing statement, "Completely sane, but revoltingly merciless, sadistic, and overall malicious…" That's very strange… usually, notes on the suspect or offender aren't so detailed or, as this note sounds, personal.

I feel L loom near me but I can't tear my eyes away from this killer's profile. He seems to be incredibly gifted and the only way Misora was able to get anywhere with this case was actually from his help… why though would he do that…

"Kiko, what are you doing?" I ignore L even when I feel his eyes trail up and down the screen. If he asks all I have to say it's for my case. The padding of his feet signal I'm alone to my computer again

I click the next file and see an array of photos ranging from the victims to crime scenes to…

Where is the killer's picture?

I don't typically look for these things, but it's inquisitive to find that this file failed to include a picture. I search into deeper files until I find a link to the murderer's full body shot. I move my cursor to click on it-

_Program Terminated_

…

…

…What happened to my laptop?! The screen buzzes for a moment and then goes completely black without warning. I hear the sounds of it working being shut off immediately. My laptop is dead…

And I didn't save any progress I made on the Mafia cases…

There all gone! The last five hours of code-breaking, hacking, and uncovering clues is lost. How could it be lost? Watari himself created a protection program for all of our laptops so that no bugs can get through from the outside. There's no way I was detected!

"Well, apparently she's been missing since the day he fiancée died," I look up to find L walking away from Watari's computer and explaining something with evocative thought beneath his cool eyes. His whole posture as he slumps away looks… distraught.

"I'm sure anyone in her position would have been depressed," Matsuda says with a gloomy tone, "Was it suicide?"

"No, the Naomi Misora I knew was strong, not to mention she was also an excellent FBI agent," L walks away till his back is facing all of us. He couldn't have… could he? My eyes trail over to the computer L had been by and flashing on the screen were the words _virus sent_.

He ruined my work.

He, who gave me this ludicrous case in the first place, deleted all my work?!

"If anything, she'd be more than likely to try and catch Kira. It appears she came to Japan with Penber. It's possible she might have found a lead-"

I don't let L finish his thought, "_What the hell?! L, why would you do that?! I spent hours working on that case!_" I yell in English, standing up and letting the laptop drop from my lap, "_You stupid, ignorant, jerk! How am I supposed to get back all that information?!" _

I was too flustered to even care about the dumb-founded looks of the Japanese men. L refuses to acknowledge my presence and merely states as if it were a fact, "_You should not have been looking through that case. It had nothing to do with any Mafia related_-"

"_Whatever_…" Tired of yelling, I rush out of the room with bitter anger convulsing through my body. I slam the door loud enough so that I can almost hear the other men gasp in unison. My work, all of it, gone in a flash.

Stupid L.

I shove my pillow into my face and growl with frustration. With all the rage reaping through my body I somehow manage to let a single, some-what happy question loiter in my mind. It makes me realize how much antagonism can come from being homesick.

'I wonder how the Whammy boys are…'

_At Whammy's…_

"MATT!" A certain redhead's ears perk up at the sound of his name, but his eyes were so engrossed in his game, which he was about to beat, that he couldn't care enough to answer the raging blond. He shifted his cigarette to the other side of his lips as he breathes in the deadly smoke.

"Matt!? Where the fuck are you?!" Matt sighs as he hears Mello's booming voice grow steadily closer to his hiding spot in an empty room. He hid the blond for the specific reason that Mello was very pissed.

And when Mello is very pissed, everything turns to chaos.

"Matt, I swear I'm going to fucking rip your head off if you don't get out here!" The reason Mello is very sick lies underneath all the frustration that was building in the blonde's gut. He was upset, worried even, because of two things.

The first being that L hadn't returned to Whammy's for his scheduled visit after sixth months. Roger didn't give a reason and brushed it off with the fact that L was a busy man. Roger must forget that Whammy's is filled with three hundred geniuses. They all knew something was amiss.

Secondly, all communication was cut off as well. Mello could not reach Kiko, which infuriated him greatly. No visit, no contact, L could be dead for they all know.

Matt assumed Mello needed him at this moment to hack something to figure out the reason for L's overdue absence. Mello had a way with persuading the redhead to do anything for him; he mastered the method of controlling Matt, not that the he minded or anything.

But he was on level eighty-eight and it had taken him hours to reach it. Mello's rouse behavior would ruin everything. So, Matt did what any brilliant hacker would do: hide.

"MATT!" But it seemed that his brilliant idea was failing miserably. Within seconds, Mello busted into the empty classroom with a scowl crossing his face. It made his burnt mark, which had long since healed over and left an intricate scar dashing over his left eye, look even more menacing.

Matt smiled hesitatively, "Aye, Mello. How are you?"

"You know damn well how I am! I've been looking for you for hours! What the fuck have you've been doing?" Mello crossed his arms in a feminine, pouty way. Matt bit back the laugh that bubbled in his throat. He truly loved Mello; the blonde was so fun to mess with.

Matt stashed his gameboy into his pocket before Mello could hurl it at a wall and snatched his cigarette out of lips so he could say, "Avoiding you, of course," He twirled the smoking stick between his fingers as he watched Mello boil over, "Ah, Mello, don't look so angry. What do you need?"

Mello eased a little and brushed off his tension, "Well, one: I was fucking bored as hell and I couldn't fucking find you to do something, "Matt again silenced his snicker, "And two: I came up with a brilliant idea on how we can hack into L's computer and find out what the bastard is up to."

Matt cocked an eyebrow at Mello, "And what exactly is your brilliant strategy?" At that same moment, the pair heard a loud crashing noise from a floor below them, followed by a loud stream of curses, and the screaming of petty little girls.

"I flooded the downstairs girl's bathroom to get Roger out of his room," Mello smirked at his friend's approving reaction, "With Roger out of his room, we can hack into his computer and look up the updated files on L, Watari, and Kiko."

Matt ruffled the back of his head as he shook his head at Mello playfully, "Mello, you're such a cruel mastermind," Cramming the shrinking fag into his mouth, Matt leaped off the desk he was on and returned Mello's evil smirk.

The two boys quickly rushed passed the stream of gossiping children as they discussed who would do such a thing to the bathrooms ("Me that's who," Mello smirked at Matt at the sound of their whispers) and soon arrived outside Roger's vacant office. Mello whipped out a pick and began working on the lock that secluded them from their desires.

"Got it," Mello whispers with the sound of the door clicking open mending his soft voice, "This is too easy. Roger really needs to get better locks," They snicker together as Mello kicks the door open. His worn sneaker leave smudge marks across the door, which Mello quickly wipes away with the hem of his sleeve.

Matt transforms into hacker mode as he mounts the chair with a dignified pose, "Let's get started, " With one hand he types away on the computer, bruising the keys and making it seem so, so easy as he rammed the spacebar and clicked mouse, and with his other hand he pulls out a cigarette which Mello grimaces at.

"Your lungs are probably dead by now," Mello shakes his head.

Matt smiles at the stick crushes in between his teeth, "Yea, and like chocolate doesn't give people diabetes?" Mello huffs accordingly and pulls out said diseased snack and snaps it with his lips.

Mello jumps on to the desk and swished his legs next to Matt's working hands, "How long is this going to take, Mattie?" The blonde kicks the desk over and over like a beating drum being punched by a pair of hands.

"I'm in!" Matt says and instantly Mello's attention is back on the screen as he leans closer to the blinking lights, "Mello your hair is in the way," Mello rolls his eyes and tucks his hair behind his ear as Matt's typing becomes more furious and ravage.

"What are Matt and Mello two doing?" With startled yelp, Mello falls into Matt's lap, earning a groan from the redhead. The extra weight causes the chair to tumble back producing yet another grunt from the unfortunate hacker.

Mello looks up and finds, "Near! You little bastard!" Near hovers close to the doorway with a bored look.

Truthfully, Mello and the albino had gotten a lot better over the past few years with Kiko seldom visiting and mending their relationship, but that quiet little spark of rivalry that could never be tamed flourished every now and then.

Like now.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Near's finger had caught his snowy hair, and unconsciously, he began twirling it, "The girl's bathrooms are flooded completely and naturally I assumed it was one of you, " Near's placid tone remarked. Matt smiled and Mello glowered painfully, "What are Matt and Mello doing?"

"What the fuck do you think we're doing," Mello finally lifted himself up and off of Matt's lap, which the redhead was eternally grateful for.

"Hacking Roger's computer to find out what L is doing?" It was a guess, but Near couldn't have been more correct.

Mello's glare hardened, "Shut up, _Near_!" He seethed at the name.

Matt's last cigarette had been crushed by Mello's knee and the one in his mouth lay dead on the ground. Signing at his devastating lost, Matt pulled himself together and continued his hacking. When an interesting file popped up, Matt attempted to gain Mello's attention, "Aye Mello…"

"You know what? I fucking hate you!"

"Mello?"

"Really? Mello did not say that yesterday when he, Matt and I were playing video games."

"Well, that's because I didn't hate you then!"

"Mello, I found-" Matt was being ignored.

"Mello hates me?"

"Yes! And why the hell are you referring to me in third person?!"

"Because it annoys you." Mello felt like he was slapped in the face.

"Mello…" Matt looks up from his computer and finds Mello circling the albino dangerously as if ready to make a kill.

"You're going down you little cunt."

"I would prefer if you restrained yourself from using bad language."

"Why you little-"

"MELLO!" Matt resorted to yelling and successfully achieves back the blonde's focus, "I found something."

Excitement flashed across Mello's face, "Really?! What is it?!" He pushed Matt away from the computer and began reading the file. As he did so, his eyes began to droop and churn with a worried nausea.

After a minute or so of watching Mello's sickening gaze, Near asks, "What is it, Mello?" Mello shakes his head and his icy eyes melt and grow wider. He mumbles something aggressively and Near asks again, "What?"

Mello looks up with frightened eyes, "L is on the Kira case…" Matt and Near answer him with ample, unbelieving eyes. Near, through a calm, stoic stance steps closer to Mello.

Matt, stunned and a little wispy, replies after a few seconds, "B-but that case… how the hell is he gonna solve that one? How's he going to pull it off?!" Near's blank eyes turn to Matt's stunned form. They release an eerie look of numbness mixed with an almost anxiety-filled emotion, but the action is so quick no one noticed.

"He's L," Mello growls, "He can do anything. I'm not worried about him."

Near shifts a bit his stance, rumpling his white pajamas noisily, and questions Mello, "Then why do you look worried, Mello?"

Mello flinches at the question but answers nonetheless, "Kiko…"

Near and Matt's eyes grow wider with realization.

* * *

_Eh... tis' okay. I'm very late on updates as you can see. If anyone reads Sinful Blood (which if you don't YOU SHOULD) I'm working on it. I was going to do a christmas special... but oh well. ;D Next year haha Review for awesome brownies that SOMEONE didn't eat -.-_

**_Reviews are SICK!_**

TheEvilMuffinToaster: I can see it o.o Haha I hate it when that happens, but thanks anyway :). It is! Throw the rock at ghost light. LOL I do too!

xSweetNightmaresx: OMYGOSH your review flipped me out o.o In a good way though. Because of it I'm adding a whole new scene next chapter that I didn't plan explaining why L is a bit of a jerk. She's calmed down a little XD But have no fear, she's going to be overrun with emotions soon. There might :) You'll like it though. Haha have a happy christmas!

puddingcup: :D Yay someone noticed it!

Someone: Thanks!

Ominous Blue: Thank you very much :)

wonton-chan: It's all good XD Awww :( Don't give in to pressure!!!! Thanks!

Nico Hayakinth: I'm glad! Thanks for the compliments! I know right :)

LeeLawliet: Thank you!

Walking Poison: O.O You ask many questions... Ulquiorra is from Bleach, he's an AMAZING character :D. It is very good, but quite long. It's anime. Not alot though XD. ALOT! XD -Happy Dances as well- x.x You shall know soon haha I lover your hyperness! It's energizing! Thanks for the review!

Bob: Thanks!


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